30 world leaders to attend Naruhito's enthronement

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Emperor Naruhito, 59, ascended to the throne on May 1, 2018, after the abdication of his father Akihito, and his enthronement will be marked by public ceremonies to which representatives from more than 190 countries have been invited.

File photo: Reuters

Tokyo:

Around 30 heads of state and government, among other prominent personalities, will on Tuesday attend the public enthronement ceremony of Japanese Emperor Naruhito, according to official sources.

Emperor Naruhito, 59, ascended to the throne on May 1, 2018, after the abdication of his father Akihito, and his enthronement will be marked by public ceremonies to which representatives from more than 190 countries have been invited, reports Efe news.

According to data from official sources, the list of foreign dignitaries from Europe includes King Felipe VI of Spain, King Philippe of Belgium, King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands, King Carl lXVI Gustaf of Sweden, Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg and Prince Albert II of Monaco.

From Europe, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen, Finnish President Sauli Niinisto and Hungarian President Janos Ader, along with former French President Nicolas Sarkozy will also attend the ceremony.

The royal households of Asia and Oceania will be represented by King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck of Bhutan, King Norodom Sihamoni of Cambodia, King Tengku Abdullah of Malaysia and King Tupou VI of Tonga, as well as Bahrain's Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman, Kyodo news agency reported, citing government sources.

The list of attendees also include Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, Indian President Ram Nath Kovind and Singaporean President Halimah Yacob, as well as South Korean Prime Minister Lee Nak-yeon, Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, and Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, as well as Myanmar's de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

Meanwhile, the common people will have to make do with a televised broadcast of the ceremony on Tuesday and wait for another three weeks to see the new Emperor up close.

Naruhito's ascension marks the beginning of a new era in Japan, dubbed "Reiwa," which roughly translates to "beautiful harmony".

He is now the 126th consecutive Japanese emperor.

Japan's monarchy is generally considered to be the longest-lived continuous hereditary royal dynasty in the world.